Letter from Edward Thomas to the poet Gordon Bottomley. Sent from Steep, Petersfield, Hampshire. Archival ref: 424/1/1/1/10/196
Steep
30 1 15
My dear Gordon
I am very sorry to get this news of your mother, all I can hope is that it will be something that her illness brings you so near to one another, incidentally I hope I may see her when I come down to you again. But it will be strange to see her so when I recall her most plainly coming towards me on the meadows (which I think you used to call the Hollandland: hadn’t it a rocky islet or two with beeches on them ?)
We are going to have some changes. It is being arranged that Mervyn goes over to New Hampshire with the Frosts when they go next month. He is to join an old schoolmaster friend of ours there for at any rate 6 months. Perhaps he has seen the last of his schooldays. He didn’t do much good but just kept in the middle of his form. This may mean we shall leave the neighbourhood by Bedals and seek the neighbourhood of more real friends than we have there, perhaps the Ellises in Sussex, which is also much nearer London yet just as far from its influence. But we haven’t begun to talk of this yet. I may still go to New Hampshire myself if the war ends and leaves things not too troubled here for me to be vile.
Guthrie talks of having to move before very long. I haven’t seen him since he got back from Cornwall. He was laid up 3 weeks with a sprained ankle, and still a cripple. He has been a good deal relieved since the war I fancy, and no wonder he feels so easy about his
Steep
30 1 15
My dear Gordon
I am very sorry to get this news of your mother, all I can hope is that it will be something that her illness brings you so near to one another, incidentally I hope I may see her when I come down to you again. But it will be strange to see her so when I recall her most plainly coming towards one on the meadows (which I think you used to call the Hollandland : had it a rocky islet or two with beeches on them?).
We are going to have some changes. It is being arranged that Mervyn goes over to New Hampshire with the Frosts when they go next month. He is to join an old schoolmaster friend of ours there for at any rate 6 months. Perhaps he has seen the last of his schooldays. He didn’t do much good but just kept in the middle of his form. This may mean we shall leave the neighbourhood by Bedals and seek the neighbourhood of more real friends than —- than. Perhaps the Ellises in Sussex, which is also much nearer London yet just as far from its influence. But we —- begun to talk of this yet. I may still go to New Hampshire myself if the war ends and leaves things not too troubled here for me to be —-.
Guthrie talks of having to move before very long. I haven’t seen him since he got back from Cornwall. He was laid up for 3 weeks with a sprained ankle, and still a cripple. He has been a good deal relieved since the war I fancy and no wonder he feels so — about his
little pretty schemes. They are so fortunate to me that I can’t begin to criticise them as I could if I saw their roots. It would be like saying to a man why have you got such a funny face ?
You shall have the other Morris when it comes of course, of course.
I keep getting little snaps of work that prevent me from quite scrutiny facing questions, though I have been interviewing as many people this week to see if there is something like a niche for me to crawl into excepting a trench. It doesn’t look as if there is. My latest job is to be an English anthology of prose, and vow to give as various an impression as possible of English life, landscape, thought, ambition and glory. The thing is to arrange it so that it must be as simple and rich as a plum pudding. Can you suggest any plums or sixpenny bits to be found in it? I am not going mainly for the explicitly patriotic. It is for the Oxford Dons and is to be done quickly of course. It is to cover the whole of time from the landing of Brutus to the Zeppelins.
Your house must be like our old one in the wind, rain, but with the advantage that it is very distinctly divided with an inside and an outside, whereas ours was like one of those carpets that can be used either side. Go with your cushions and wallpaper and books and gramophone I hope you keep

the weather out better.
Is there any news of the new Georgian poetry book, or is it indefinitely postponed? You saw that Hodgson got the Polignac £100, I expect. He and I are not meeting till the war is over. I am not patriotic eminent for his exuberant taste.
My love to Emily and you.
Yours ever
Edward Thomas